Lonnie Walker declares for NBA Draft, will sign with an agent

The Lonnie Walker era with the Miami Hurricanes has come to an end. As expected Walker announced he has declared for the NBA Draft and will sign with an agent.

Lonnie Walker is the third Miami Hurricanes player to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft. The other two, power forward Dewan Huell and guard Bruce Brown have not signed with an agent. They have until June 11 to withdraw their name from the draft if they intend to return to Miami for their Junior seasons in 2018-19.

As is the case with most young players in this era, Walker announced his decision via Twitter. Walker thanked the University, the city of Miami, the fans, his coaches and his family for his experiences with the Hurricanes.

Walker’s decision has been expected since he committed to Miami. He was the highest-ranked recruit in Hurricanes history.

Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Jim Larranaga also released a statement regarding Walker’s decision.

"“My staff and I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach Lonnie Walker this season,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “He’s an extremely mature and talented young man, both as a player and as a student. We have tremendous confidence in him and believe he is going to be a terrific NBA player.Whichever organization drafts him will have a gem on their hands. Lonnie’s size, athletic ability and skill make him an ideal shooting guard but with the strong potential to be able to play both the 1 and the 2 at the NBA level. He is as classy a young man as I’ve ever had the privilege to coach. We wish him nothing but the best. He will always be a part of our Miami family and program.”"

Walker was Miami’s leading scorer this season averaging 11.5 points per game. He improved as the season wore on. Walker was recovering early from offseason knee surgery as a result of a torn ACL. The Reading, Pennsylvania native averaged 13.6 PPG in ACC Games.

Almost a year ago to the day Larranaga said he expected Brown and Walker to enter the draft. Coach L referred to Walker last year as a “high-octane open-court player and outstanding 3-point shooter”. and when asked if Walker was a one and done player said, “that’s the goal”.

Walker is projected from the fringe of the lottery to no later than the 20th pick of the draft. That considerably higher than Brown or Huell. When are you expected to go that high it’s usually a no-brainer to leave.

He still has things to work on. Walker needs a greater commitment to defense, not rely so much on his athleticism, learn to play better off the ball and learn to play with other more talented players. His rise in production in ACC Games also coincided with Brown’s season-ending injury.

Next: Jim Larranaga and Miami Hurricanes are putting this season behind them

At the next level, Walker is going to have to learn to be a second, third or more option on a team. He’s not likely to be the star player on an NBA team. He projects as a spot up shooter and slasher in the Association who should be able to get to the foul line frequently. He’s best going to a team with established Alpha.